Death
by shinigamiinochi
Summary: Duo calls himself Shinigami, but is it more than a nickname?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Death

Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+2, R+1

Warnings: Supernatural, OOC, death (you'll get it, it's nothing to cry over), violence, language, lemon, angst.

Rating: R

Summary: What if Duo's self-proclaimed title 'Shinigami' wasn't just a nickname?

Prologue/Teaser

Beady black eyes stared into Duo's, mockingly, as the large, ebony bird perched on his thin hand. Duo glared at it.

"Shut up, Lucifer, I _know_ it was stupid." The crow flew over onto the metal rail as Duo curled up miserably on the floor, hugging his knees to him as he sat there.

"I am Death. How can you love death?" He murmured. "I am filth, a fallen angel, I'm not supposed to love either."

'But you do,' a light voice in his head said, though to everyone else, it was only the small screech of a crow.

"So?"

'So, telling Heero you loved him was the right thing to do.' The bird flew over to land on Duo's shoulder, spreading its impressive wing span around Duo like a shield, mindful of his sharp claws on the thin shirt and frail skin of his master's back.

"Was it really?" He reached up and stroked Lucifer's head, "seems more selfish than anything. Heero doesn't deserve a fallen death, Luc. He has Relena, doesn't he? I think he would prefer a bright, pure soul than my shadow. And even if he did care that way for me, I can never be involved with him. I'm Death!"

'Formerly.'

"Yeah, but I'm not human. How could he possibly love something with no heart beat?" Lucifer didn't answer.

"Luc?"

'Yes?'

"What do you think would happen if I went back to heaven?"

'Is that what you want?'

"No, I… I don't belong there. I don't belong anywhere."

'It must be hard to have nowhere to rest your head.' Duo snorted.

"Pity gets you nowhere, old friend."

'I do not pity you. I know your strengths, I know you are hurting and that you wish very much for a place to call home, for people who can love you for who you truly are. Even while you believe that it is impossible.'

"It is, isn't it? I can't tell anyone the truth. That's obvious. Who would believe me? And I don't even think about the consequences if they did. Do you think I am selfish?"

'No. Everyone needs to let go a little bit. Do you not feel a little bit better?'

"Yeah, but now I'm worried."

'That's to be expected. If it comforts you, you know that I am here, even if the rest of this pitiful world abandons you.' Duo smiled.

"Thank you, old friend."

End prologue


	2. Chapter 2

Death

Chapter 1: Falling

Warnings: Angst, death, violence, NCS (not main characters), angels, God bashing, eventual lemon, liberties with religion, the ten plagues, and Duo's episode zero.

Pairings: eventual 1x2, 3+4, 5+2, 5+13, unrequited R+1.

Rating: R

Summary: Duo calls himself Shinigami, but it is not just a name.

Notes: After writing 11 chapters of hentai, I'm taking a little break to work on this fic. I wrote the teaser four years ago and still have no idea where this is going, so bear with me. I do not own 'Uchuu', that belongs to Angela Aki, one of the best singers ever. I highly recommend her. Uchuu is sung in Japanese, but I have translated it for your reading pleasure. ^^ However, if there is anyone who speaks Japanese and knows this song and feels I have translated it wrong, please send me a better version for I do not speak Japanese, I just try my best. When translating this, I thought it would be appropriate for this fic as it sounds like the speaker is leading away a dead spirit and Duo is the God of Death. However, I know that this was not Angela's intention, I just feel that it could be interpreted as such.

AC 188

//Yesterday afternoon I met a girl  
in the hospital lobby  
"I'm calling out my name to heavens"  
she says as stardust appears in the sky  
Pulling up my skirt, I sit down next to he

"Why are you crying?" I ask.  
Her tears words become words as she replies,  
"Because a lost loved one can never return."

"Come, follow me" I say, going outside  
to watch the change of the seasons  
as five moons hangs in the sky  
But she wasn't behind me like I expected  
so I give her a hug as if nothing happened

The girl smiles when she sees  
the smiling rocks at our feet.  
"Little girl, do you believe that is where it all ends?"

You and me, we can go anywhere  
because we exist together  
Heaven, oh heaven, oh heaven  
You and me, our consciousness  
are always bound to each other  
Heaven, oh heaven, oh heaven

As for her last words, they were  
"Eternity is now"//

The lone figure walked through the masses of bodies. The bodies were charred, pus leaking from the black and red wounds. Faces were disfigured as flesh had been blown away to reveal blue-black veins, raw muscles and shocking white of bone. Eyes, what eyes were left in the rotting sockets, were wide in surprise, death swift, yet their light still lingered. The gore strewn about the dusted fields of wreckage, glass strewn about melted and cracked stone and concrete, caused no expression of grief on the figures face. He had seen many sites like this in the past years. War always made ripe genocide and mass trauma, and it was his job to collect. Like a seasoned mortician who breaks open the chest cavities of corpses with not so much as a grimace, he moved from body to body. He sunk a pale hand into the mess that used to be a living person and drew out long strings of bright, blue, glowing light. It was only as the light absorbed into him that he shuddered. Past emotions, thoughts, and memories came into him with that light as he saw the person's life before him, permanently etched into his head. He stood, shaking a little. He went from body to body, hundreds of them, repeating this process without a word. His shaking increased with each burst of light into him, but still he finished his work. A few feet away, a single, large crow sat, perched on a outreached hand, arms ascending upwards in rigor mortis, its beady eyes watching in cold silence. Dust moved in great arcs around the boy's long, chestnut hair, twisted into a braid, but did not settle on him, his pale skin not marred by a single thing, as though he were not even there. His violet eyes were dark with pain and pity, though they held no other emotion, besides weary, like an old worker, waiting for retirement that would never come. He wore a long, black cloak, the white feathers of his large, outstretched wings did not move at all as a harsh wind moved through the field of the dead. He finally reached the last of the bodies, young woman with large shards of prettily colored glass embedded into her breast, chest, and legs. One sharp piece of gold and blue glass stuck out from her right, staring blue eyed, dull in death. Her once bright gold hair was red with blood, fanned out underneath her. Her torn, charred hand clutched a gleaming gold cross. He reaped her, the shinning light entering his chest. He cried out as her soul became one with his, tears falling onto pale cheeks. He ran thin fingertips along her arm, torn apart by the exploding glass of the church's windows. He pried the cross from her burnt fingers, a couple of them breaking off and falling onto the dust-covered ground like hard clay. He put the cross around his neck, the gold settling on his skin, as cold as the metal itself. As the dust, carried by the wind settled, both he and the crow disappeared.

Duo kneeled before a figure wrapped in pure white cloth who sat on a large throne of gold in a great hall, the walls decorated in complex patterns of all colors. He presented the figure with a glowing, blue ball of light which he held in his hand.

"My mission is complete, my lord. 245 souls," God, his long black hair iridescent like grackles feathers and his eyes as gold as the thrown he sat on, took the light from Duo.

"Good work as usual, Shinigami," though he smiled at his angel, his eyes held no love for his loyal servant. Like a master looking upon a slave, he expected no less from Duo than perfection, for failure would only be dealt with in pain and death. "As a reward, I have another assignment for you. It is much smaller than the last. A family of three has been killed, a mother, father, and daughter. You will deal with this in the usual fashion, quickly, and then return to me."

"I understand, my lord."

Duo left the great hall with a heavy heart. Angels were not supposed to feel this way. They were servants of God. They were only supposed to do His will. And yet, he felt this horrible pain inside of him, a deep loneliness, a longing for sleep and companionship, but mostly for sleep. How long had it been since he had been the God of Death? Centuries? Millenniums? Time in heaven was a nonexistent thing. Like all angels, Duo had no concept of his life as a human, his memory being wiped as soon as he ascended. He only remembered an incredible pain as his wings grew from him, followed by emptiness as his human emotions were ripped from him. He was given his name, Shinigami, and sent to work, never to sleep, never to rest. As Shinigami, he was given one companion, Lucifer, a creation of God, to watch over him. Or rather, to make sure he did his job. Lucifer's true purpose was to report to God about his progress, but in truth, Lucifer seemed to hate God, though Duo did not know why. It was Lucifer who kept the secret of Duo's name. From the killing of the first born of Egypt, to the Maxwell Church Massacre, Duo had served God obediently. In all of his time, he had reaped souls, unseen, unknown, until two little boys. God may have been omnipotent, but he was not omniscient, so he had not known of them. The first had been a seven-year old boy named Maemi(1). His family had been the first victims of a plague on L2. He had already taken his mother and father's souls when he reached the boy's bedroom. Maemi was beautiful with typical messy, but clean, chocolate brown hair, and the most intense, deep blue eyes Duo had ever seen. Maemi was not quite dead yet, so Duo had to wait. He was sick with fever, his pupils dilated and his pale body wracked with seizures. This happened sometimes with people who were sick. They were on the brink of death, but their souls were still too connected with their bodies for him to take them. If he did, the soul he reaped would not be intact and thus, unable for them to join the afterlife. The body would still be alive, but without memory or emotion. It would have animalistic urges, but no sense of living. It would be what humans called a 'zombie'. As for the soul, it would be permanently lost in between life and death. So, he had to wait for the body to die before taking the child's soul. He was used to it, but it still disturbed him to watch someone die. Duo was an aberration. He knew that if anyone besides Luc knew of it, he would be killed. Death for an angel was different than death for a living creature. There would be no afterlife, only nothingness. A fallen angel would be stripped of its wings, branded with the mark of the fallen, its eyes gouged out and put on display for fifty lifetimes before being executed. Duo was different from other angels. He was the only Shinigami. This was not abnormal, there was only one angel of death every time. The last one had fled to hell to flee God and Duo had taken his place. No, what was abnormal was that Duo felt. No angel had human emotions, they were immediately stripped upon becoming angels. But, after five missions, Duo's emotions had returned to him little by little. He became somewhat used to his job, but still these feelings remained. After all of this time of being the angel of death, feelings of loneliness and depression plagued him. He was weary and yearned for death. Beyond that, he was a threat to God as a feeling angel. While he served Him, he still had the feelings to know that such servitude was wrong. He hated being a slave, further more of being death. With Luc as his only companion, he yearned for others. So, when he saw Maemi's eyes, a beautiful blue, filled with such horrible pain, he felt things no angel should feel: sympathy, guilt, and worst of all, hesitation. Then, something happened that would haunt Duo for the rest of his eternal life, Maemi looked right at him. This was not too strange, many had looked upon him and saw an empty space. But when this child's eyes locked on his, Duo knew that this boy was not staring into nothingness, but looking at _him._

"Kirei…", the boy murmured in a hoarse, week voice, his hand outstretched towards Duo. Against his better judgment, Duo took his smaller hand is his. In shock, their hands connected. This could not be possible! This boy was not dead, thus he could not touch him! As long as Duo was connected with heaven, no living being could see or touch him, yet this boy had. Further more, he felt something, like something locking into place. A connection. As an ethereal being, Duo felt the swirls of fate around him. Fate was liquid. It could bend and stretch when decisions were made, but he felt no change in Fate's stream. Was this supposed to happen, then? A strange warmth blossomed in Duo's heart, it was beautiful. It felt so right, he though he was dying.

"What… is your… name?" the boy managed, his words hesitant not because of his health, but because English was clearly not his first language. Though, that mattered little to Duo as he could understand all languages, even that of the plants and animals. The boy's accent was thick, but understandable.

"Shinigami," Duo replied. Maemi smiled.

"Strange name, for one like you. Have you come to take me?" Duo nodded, tears in his eyes.

"Why you cry? Are you lonely?" Duo nodded, tears falling. "That bad. One so pretty shouldn't cry. Don't you have one you love?" Duo shook his head.

"I'm alone. I have no one." Tears sprung from Maemi's eyes. Duo felt that warmth increase. That this child was crying for him, it touched him deep inside.

"I alone as well. Momma and Dadda are dead. Can we be together? You need someone to talk to, I like you. Your eyes are honest." Duo sat next to him, still holding his hand.

"Are you afraid, Maemi?" Maemi shook his head.

"I was, but you came. I not afraid anymore. If I die, will you stay with me?" Duo shook his head.

"No, you won't die," Duo leaned forward and pressed his lips against Maemi's, stealing away his breath. Something black and wispy, like smoke that was alive, came from the child's mouth into Duo's. Duo choked on it, then swallowed. Duo felt the boy's moving soul settle back fully into his body and the color returned to him. Duo helped him stand.

"You can't stay here, you'll die."

"Where are you taking me?" Maemi asked.

"To someone who will care for you, protect you."

"I don't want to! I want to stay with you." Duo simply pushed back his unruly bangs and kissed him on his forehead, putting him to sleep.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…"

Duo left the boy near a campsite on Earth where an assassin slept. Maemi slept peacefully. Duo knew that the assassin would soon awake and find him. He only hoped that he would love the boy as he did.

Duo still missed the boy. He thought for sure that he would never meet another like him, but he did. And yet, he still did not feel the way he did with Maemi. The second boy was named Solo and Duo did not save him like he did Maemi. Much like Maemi, Solo had been sick and Duo had had to wait for him to die. Also like Maemi, Solo had talked to him and felt sorry for him. Solo had been a street kid and believed that everyone needed a name and a friend. He promised Duo that, even when he died, he would find a way to stay with him and be his friend. Because of this, he should call himself Duo. Duo was flattered, as well as a bit mystified that another human could see him, and took the only gift the poor orphan could give him. As always, Lucifer kept his secrets.

"Are you ok?" Lucifer asked. Duo stared at him. Lucifer was in his ethereal form, a tall young boy with pale skin, long silky black hair, and eyes that were completely black with not a trace of color in them; crow's eyes, the only part of him that stayed the same no matter what form he took. Duo nodded.

"I'll be fine," he fingered the gold cross. Lucifer hugged the smaller boy against him.

"That's a lie, you haven't been fine for a long time." Duo shrugged.

"There's nothing I can do." He walked toward the door, the portal to Earth. Luc's eerie eyes followed him.

"There's always a choice," he murmured.

Her name was Kathy. She was six, with blonde pigtails and green eyes. She had a rabbit named Mr. Muffy and wanted to be a teacher just like her mommy. Her mommy was dead, her throat slit and nipples sliced off, her body in the bathroom. Her father was a private nurse. His dick was floating in the toilet, his head was in the freezer and his body was on the couch in the living room. Duo immediately took them, their memories integrating into him. He saw how the man, his brown beard unkempt and his grey eyes wild, had broke into the house, killed Kathy's father, and raped and killed her mother. Kathy was still in her bedroom. She was naked, blood and semen running down her bruised legs. She was dying, but her body was still alive. Duo didn't know why, but this sparked pure dark anger in him and he made his choice. He shed his angelic form, severing the connection between himself and heaven.

'What are you doing?!' Lucifer's mindvoice ripped through his head.

"What's the good of being an angel if I can't save the people who deserve to be saved?!" Duo snapped, his body glowing with fury. He placed his fingers against Kathy's crushed throat. Her corporeal body fled from her and looked at him in shock.

"An angel…," he touched her cheek.

"I can't save your parents, but I can save you," he said, holding her hand. He led her away from the house, away from the colony to Earth, into a hospital.

"What are we doing here?" She asked. Duo smiled at her.

"You won't remember any of this. This is all I can do for you." They were suddenly in a room. A woman lay on a hospital bed in labor, blood leaking out of her vagina, her stomach stretched. What the woman didn't know was that her baby was already dead. The girl's spirit body turned to light and Duo led her into the baby's soulless body, not yet dead.

'Are you sure about this?' Luc asked, landing on Duo's shoulder.

"Fuck God," Duo growled, his wings slowly turning black as his connection to God had been severed and his body was turning into one of the fallen and he felt his human memories being returned to him along with his free will. He had been apart of a tribe living in America, years before the pyramids had been built. Their crops and animals had all died and their tribe was being plagued by a disease. His father had believed him to be cursed by a demon and had sacrificed him against their elder's will as his mother cried and screamed in anger…

Duo shook his head, clearing his head of those visions. That was not him anymore. Fuck, how long had he been around for?! No, he couldn't think of that, he still had one more thing to do before he disappeared forever into the human masses… he had to find a man with a brown beard and cold, grey eyes….

End Chapter 1

(1) Maemi means honest one, a testament to Heero's live your life according to your emotions philosophy.


	3. Chapter 3

Death

Chapter 2

Author's Note: Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I started working and watching a lot of movies, which equals a ton of new fic ideas plus ideas of continuing my old ones. On top of that, my computer died. Sniff. But, it's fixed now, so I can update now.

Severing his link from Heaven wasn't as painful as Duo had thought it would be, it was taking human form that was difficult. It involved mutating his aura so he could become visible to the living. His overall appearance stayed the same, with the exception of his wings. As he donned his human appearance, his newly black wings shed their feathers. The raw skin on them slid off like wet meat until only starkly white bone remained. It hurt like nothing else he had experienced since he had died a long time ago, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. With a great deal of effort, he forced the protruding bones into his now mortal flesh. He discovered that even in this form a little bit of his power remained and extended a small part of it to knit his skin together again. He also discovered that he could still see the coming and goings of the unseen world, the dead, energy waves, and the residual auras of things from both heaven and hell. His naked body, weak as a newborn, shivered in the cold of his surroundings. All angels were sexless, so having a penis again was beyond strange and he didn't think he would ever get used to it.

Beyond his newly grown genitalia, fragile body, and lack of wings, he didn't feel all that awkward. With the memories of previous souls he had reaped, he readily knew all that he would ever need to know about this world. Politics, popular information, music, television, places… it was all locked up inside of his head. He recognized the place he had fallen, L2, specifically the colony he had visited to take the souls from the bombed church. It seemed a fitting place to start a new life. He even knew all of the back alleys of this place from one of the dead orphans, a boy nicknamed Toad because of his flat head, staring eyes, and oddly proportioned limbs. With this stolen info, he strode through the alleys completely unbothered by his nudity or, rather, he had not been taught to be embarrassed by his skin. It took awhile, but he managed to find a man selling stolen items in a back alley. The man did not seem very bothered by his nudity, but did give him some appraising stares until he noted Duo's limp penis. Disappointed by his male gender, the man did not give him a second glance, even when Duo asked him only for some clothes. Duo realized that, with his very pale skin, intense shivering, and unkempt appearance, he looked like a drug addict.

The dealer held some clothing in his gnarled, dark hand, but did not give them to Duo. Duo could sense the man's instinctive distrust and handed the man a bundle of something. It was a bunch of his shed feathers, once they had touched the earthly ground, they crystallized into a strange sort of heavenly glass; iridescent and frosted, almost iced as they were freezing to the touch even now. When looking closely enough, it appeared as though spiraled galaxies swirled within them. After seeing these beautiful artifacts, the man happily surrendered the grey sweatpants and zippered black, hooded sweatshirt for one of the long, knife-like feathers. Duo grabbed the clothing and shrugged them on, fumbling, his movements still shaky and unusual, but he was quickly becoming used to his human body. He quickly stuffed the rest of the hundreds of feathers into the pants pockets. As they clinked together, they made a sound like clear wind chimes that went on for several seconds, echoing like bells. He shuffled off back the way he came, not knowing at all where he was going or what he was going to do with his new found freedom. There was evil in the wind, he could taste it on his tongue. Underneath the usual bad feelings of this colony was something else, something that was brewing under the surface like a cancer. War, he realized. It was coming. That feeling surged through him and made his heart pound painfully. Something bad was going to happen. Bad things had already happened, here and all over this world. This was the reason why he had reaped so many. And somehow he knew that he had to leave this colony. There was something he had to do, somewhere he had to be. He could feel Fate's waves around his, flowing, but could no longer read them. He only knew that something was happening.

A strange smell greeted him then, anger, greed, and lust. Even without turning around he knew that he was being followed. He had been careless and had been seen by someone in the alley. They knew that he had something precious on him and wanted it for themselves. Duo slowed his pace, allowing the man to catch up to him. Slipping a hand into his pants pocket, he clutched at one of the sharp feathers. He felt his pursuer's meaty hand on his shoulder and his hunter's knife pressed against his back. Duo stepped forward to avoid the knife and whirled on his attacker, stabbing the feather into the homeless man's beefy neck. The man howled in pain as the glass pierced his vein and contaminated his blood. The effects of the ethereal poison immediate as his veins became pure black like spreading ash. His skin rotted to reveal tissue, blood leaking out of the holes in his thinning skin. Rigor set in, though he was still alive, like meningitis, tightening his body in a permanent state of terror and agony until he suffocated, or bled to death, Duo wasn't sure. Duo quirked a cinnamon eyebrow at the sight. How interesting… who knew angels could be so deadly? Duo dug out the feather, blood crystallized into it like a strange fungus. Beautiful, but a sign of the feather's deadliness.

Duo hiked to the space port. Whatever he needed to do, it was not on this horrible bear trap, floating in the darkness of space. He heard a light fluttering, accompanied by a familiar, and comforting, slight weight on his shoulder. Lucifer said nothing, but words were not needed. Right now, all Duo need was his presence. Duo didn't doubt he could use his feathers to buy passage onto a ship. The destination didn't matter right now for he had no where he was supposed to go. But, surely even Shinigami could figure out how to sneak on to a ship.

End Chapter 2

Next chapter, Duo and Heero.


	4. Chapter 4

Death

Chapter 3

Maemi was alive. He went by a different name; Heero, but he was still alive, and more importantly, he was with him. If he remembered Duo, he didn't give any hint of it, but Duo knew it was him. He could recognize the unique boy's aura anywhere.

Being a Gundam pilot was a lot like his old profession. He was told where to go, who to kill, but it was also very different. As a pilot, he felt as though he was making a difference, not just killing for the sake of it but to achieve goals to help the living, not the dead. And, best of all, he was no longer alone. At first, it had been like old times, just he and Luc. Now, he and the others were living under the same roof, at least until new missions came in and they would have to spread to the four winds again. No one knew what he was, not even Professor G. There had been some problems naturally, since he did not have a heart beat, but Duo discovered he could force his body to produce some rhythm, though it would never be like a real human's heart beat. G had assumed that Duo had a heart condition but this did not make him nervous about training Duo since the condition did not appear to affect Duo's health. His eye color had also raised some question, but G also shrugged this off as an unnecessary issue. Duo was healthy, intelligent, talented, and willful, that was all that mattered. Every now and then Quatre would give him strange looks. Quatre's aura was bright and distorted, showing his natural kindness and strength, as well as his empathic abilities. Duo reasoned that Quatre's ability told him something was off about him, but would not be able to tell him what the actual reason was. So, Quatre watched him closely, but Duo would not give him any reason to question him.

Living with humans was definitely interesting, especially with the strange companions he had. While he was no longer lonely, he felt like an intruder in their lives. He did not belong in this world. He did not belong in Heaven, either. An angel with feelings, or a human with wings, it did not matter, either way he was an outsider. The others all thought they were so different, but he was the worst of all. He might be wearing human skin, but was no human.

Maemi, no, Heero, had changed from when he was a child. He was colder, more closed off, but his aura was exactly this same. This meant that somewhere, deep inside, he was the same scared, but accepting, child. His aura was like a cool breeze, dark blue and misty, but solid like a storm.

Trowa's was like a forest, silent and deep. Mixes of brown and dark green entwined with him. His aura was complex, speaking of some deep trauma and need. When he was around Quatre this need, a bluish green, darkened and swirled with mixed light. Love, it was always so pure, but never simple.

It was the same way with Quatre. His aura was eerily bright but mixed with other gold's and blue's. When he was with Trowa, these colors intensified. Duo often wondered what his aura looked like when he was near Heero.

Wufei's was fitting of a dragon. His body seemed to be filled with a righteous fire, blazing hotter with rage and a need for justice like none other that he had seen. He and Wufei never saw eye to eye about anything. This was most likely because Wufei desperately wanted to believe that justice was possible, while Duo knew there was no such thing. So, they constantly fought, even about the most mundane thing because they instinctively knew that they did not understand each other. Still, Duo liked Wufei. He was strong and stubborn, unwilling to give into anyone. He was a warrior through and through.

Angels were not supposed to feel anything. Anger, annoyance, joy… love. Love especially. Yet, Duo was not so surprised that he had fallen for Heero. He had seen him at his worst, he had saved his life, and Heero had been the first to see him. It was easy to fall in love with that smile, and how he missed it. He made it his self-imposed mission to bring Heero back to the sweet child he had seen that time, so long ago. Still, he was not accustomed to the sudden pain these feelings brought him. He found he could not take his eyes off of his fellow pilot. It was distracting, yet with these overpowering emotions he found the strength to keep on fighting. He supposed that love, as with all emotions, was a double edged sword that way.

There was only one person that remained a constant thorn in his side. That bitch, Relena. She really was like a dog. She hung all over Heero, slobbering on his every word. The very smell of her was nauseating. Her aura was a dark pink. It was far too bright, falsely so, mixed with dark, unsettling tones of something bordering on illness. She reeked of expensive, but far too strong, perfume and the sharp clacking of the high heeled shoes she always wore irritated him. Mostly, he hated the way she looked at him. If she would just come out and say how she felt plainly, he could bear it. Instead she only hinted and insinuated cruelly. Worse, she somehow knew of his feelings for Heero and felt towards him a kind of disgust one feels for an aberration or monster. That simple feelings of love disgusted her so much made Duo feel so sick and wrong inside. That was the worst of it, that a single woman could make him feel that he was the evil one. He mused that Heero and Relena would make a good couple if it were not for her selfish views of others. Truthfully, when they were together, though it hurt, they did look quite perfect, like a princess and her prince.

It was because of all of this, that Duo was sure that, when he confessed his feelings he had temporarily lost his mind. And, as soon as the words left his lips, his sanity returned to him and he fled to the roof of the safe house.

Heero stared at the vacant place that Duo had fled from. Just what the hell was going on? From the first moment he had met the American he had felt strange. He felt that there was something he was forgetting, something very important, but he just couldn't remember what it was. Whatever it was, it had to do with that strange dream he continued to have. Something about white wings and a gentle smile. And now this. Duo claimed to love him. It was true that he often played jokes on the rest of them, but this was just not his style; it was too cruel. Beyond that, at the end, Duo had been terrified. That sort of emotion was real, Heero just knew it. But, the most important thing to ask himself was how he actually felt about all this. He ached to go after Duo, but refused to pursue him until he had all of the answers. Did he care for Duo? Yes. Despite all attempts to distance himself from his comrades, he cared for each of them. But what about Duo? Somehow, with him things were different. He did not feel so socially awkward. He felt as though he could truly tell him anything. Did he love him? Heero analyzed his current feelings. He wanted to go after Duo, to comfort him, to make sure he wasn't crying or upset. He never wanted to see him cry. Heero nodded. He was sure that was a sign of love, it didn't seem to fit into the parameters of friendship, this intense feeling of need and desire. That, and he was pretty sure friends didn't get erections for each other. Now that his questions were answered, how should he possibly approach Duo about it? Of course, there was always the direct approach, one he knew best of all.

When Duo climbed down from the roof he certainly hadn't expected Heero to be waiting for him on the porch, but he was. Like a wild animal, Duo studied Heero before approaching. The other boy seemed calm, like always, but his aura was stormy and his eyes deep in thought. Another thing Duo had never seen before; on his lap, Heero's hands were clenched and uneasy. Duo stood there and waited, knowing that Heero was mulling over what he was going to say and that interrupting him would be mean. Still, he felt nervous about waiting. He wished that Heero would just come out and say what was on his mind, but this was Heero, he wouldn't say much, but it would be important.

"You like me," Heero said plainly, a slight hitch in his voice.

"Yes," Duo replied, his own voice heavy with emotion. "I have for awhile. I needed to tell you that." Heero nodded.

"I've always appreciated your honesty. But, I'm not sure how to respond to it." Duo tried to hide his disappointment, but knew that Heero could read him just as well as he could read Heero's grunts and glares. "I like you, too, Duo. Like how you like me, I mean. Not friendship, though I suppose that may be a part of it." Duo instantly perked up. He knew that Heero was telling the truth. He could see it in his aura, which still remained pure, untainted by lies. Heero was like him in that way, he always tried to remain honest, especially to those that he trusted. Duo kneeled down and took one of Heero's hands in his.

"What do you want to do about this, Heero? If you want me to bury my feelings, I'm sorry but I can't. However, if you want our relationship to remain platonic, I'll have to respect that. I just wish-," Heero shook his head.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I want to see if this… relationship… could work. I have seen Trowa and Quatre interact with each other and their performance has not changed. If anything, they seem more focused on their missions while being more relaxed and happy while they are together. I think I would like to experience that." Duo smiled. Heero might be awkward around other people, but he knew what he wanted and he was correct in his assessments. Trowa and Quatre were together, yet they accomplished their missions without distraction. If he and Heero could be like that, Duo wanted to see if they could make it work.

"Alright, we'll try it," Duo said, timidly kissing Heero on the cheek. Heero grasped Duo's wrist, halting his movement as he hastily tried to move away in case Heero wanted to smack him for invading his space. Heero pressed his lips against Duo's, but kept still. Duo moved his lips against his, leading and showing him how to kiss properly. As with everything else, Heero was a quick learner and he readily took the lead until Duo was blushing and had to end the kiss to catch his breath.

"Wow," he murmured. Heero touched his reddened lips briefly.

"I… liked that." He stood up and helped Duo to his feet. "Would you like to go out? To dinner or something? That is what normal couples do, isn't it? And is that we are now?" Duo grinned.

"Yeah, I guess we are. Sure. We'll have to go undercover in case OZ spots us, but it sounds like fun. What do you feel like?" Heero's face reddened a little.

"I think I should ask you first. You are… my date. I asked you to go out with me after all. Is that the correct way to go about it?" Duo laughed a little.

"Yeah, Heero, and I'm not laughing at you," he said as Heero made a face at him. "Quatre told me about this steak place he and Trowa went to last Friday. It's an hour's drive from here, but it sounds worth it. We can go around six, ok?" Heero nodded and didn't protest as Duo slid his hand into his and led him into the house.

End Chapter 3


	5. Chapter 5

Death

Chapter 4

If Heero was mad about the fact that they never had sex, he didn't say. Still, Duo thought that his new boyfriend was frustrated about it, while at the same time Heero did not want to mess up their relationship. Duo had originally thought that being with Heero would be difficult, but he quickly discovered that for all of Heero's lack of experience, he made up with genuine affection. It was easy to talk to him about things that bothered Duo. Well, things except for this. Duo was scared. He had no idea how his body would react to sex. What if he accidentally used his power during it and Heero found out what he really was? But, beyond that… he was a three-thousand year old virgin. He had all of the information but none of the experience.

It seemed that only Wufei was shocked by their sudden relationship. He was annoyed that two more of his comrades had succumbed to what he called 'teenage delinquency'. Duo was comforted by the fact that Wufei meant them all sleeping in the same beds as their boyfriends; and presumably having sex, not being gay. Duo liked sleeping with Heero. It was comforting to nestle with another warm body, especially since it was Heero's body. They did nothing more than feeling each other up and kissing, but they both yearned for more. Duo knew that from the constant flares of red Heero exposed every time they were near each other. Another benefit to their relationship was that Heero had completely ceased to see Relena (if he could help it), especially after Duo told him how he felt about the girl. It felt so good to have Heero actually listen to him and care about how he felt.

Besides all of the relationship issues they had been happening, something frightening was in the wind. About a week ago, Duo had felt a shift in the power of the Earth. Something had fallen from the sky, something with a great deal of ethereal power. A seraphim, a warrior of God. Duo could not tell who it was without alerting them to his position, but he knew enough that things would get bloody if they met. Seraphim only showed up on Earth to capture devils… or fallen angels.

So, He now knew what had happened and had sent a warrior to capture him and bring him back. But, Duo had promised himself that he would never go back. He would fight and die before that happened. Right now, though, there were more important things to think about, like the war that was going around them.

"Goddamit, Quatre, watch it!" Duo screamed as another bullet whizzed far too close to Quatre's head as the blonde tried to hack into the keypad on the door blocking their exit. The two of them where trapped in a long hallway with Oz soldiers at their backs and a titanium, re-enforced door in front of them. For once, it was all five of them on a mission. They were at a research facility in Canada where Oz was experimenting on a new type of Gundanium ore that was easier to shape and work, but just as strong. There were two main labs here and intelligence had not discovered which lab had the information they needed. While Duo could not use his unearthly powers during a mission for more than one reason, he could still get enough information from auras to know that the north lab that he and Quatre had broken into had nothing that they needed. The research section of the base was built like a giant T. There was a long tunnel connecting the labs to the rest of the building, but the labs were on opposite ends of each other. The closer to the north side they went, the more that the aura of fear and secrecy faded. Wufei provided a distraction while Trowa and Heero broke into the south end and Duo and Quatre attacked the north end, both using the vent system and access codes intelligence had given them. The north lab, it turned out, held experimentations on types of ammunition. However, there was nothing there that would benefit them. It would have been a clean get away, at least for Duo and Quatre, but someone had sounded the alarm and now they were trapped in the north corridor. All they had to do to get out of there was figure out the passwords for the door, which would have been a lot easier if they didn't have people shooting at them, but Quatre was doing the best he could with Duo guarding his back. If it weren't for him, he'd be dead right now, but Duo was right, he needed to multitask. There was only so much the other boy could do to make sure he didn't get shot. Duo winced as another bullet hit him in the shoulder, then cheered as he brought down a guard with a shot to the head. He could take a few shots in his limbs, but he couldn't keep these dicks at bay for much longer.

Quatre yelped as the door opened suddenly and gun went off in his face. Duo felt more than saw the bullet whiz past his cheek and another guard went down.

"02, 04, hurry up!" Trowa snapped, firing off more shots. Duo's gun clicked empty and he tossed it away, grabbing another from his belt, fully loaded, and knocked off a few more Ozzies before lunging after Trowa and Quatre. They ran so fast that Quatre and Duo felt warmth at their sides, but it quickly faded as they tried to keep up with Trowa's long-legged pace. Heero was waiting for them at the junction with a hand grenade, which gave them just the right amount of time to make it out of the base.

Despite their lucky break getting outside, they weren't so lucky getting to their Gundams. The problem with using their Gundams in a mission like this was that it was nearly impossible to hide them. However, if anything should go wrong, they had orders to destroy the facility as quickly and efficiently as they could, including everyone inside. Fortunately, it had not come to that. Heero and Trowa had found the necessary information, stolen enough core samples to keep their controllers happy, and destroyed all of Oz's back ups of their research. But, in returning to the woods where their Gundams were, they were ambushed and had to break up, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei to the west of the woods and Heero and Duo towards the river.

Oz wasn't far behind. Duo kept track of the others for as long as he could, relieved to find that they were faring better with the heavy trees as cover. Eventually, their pursuers gained all of Duo's attention and he realized with relief that the Gundams were safe as all of the guards at the base were focused only on them and that their Gundams had none of their auras near them. However, the auras of their pursuers were overtly hostile. They meant to kill them, not capture them.

Using hand signals, Heero motioned to the river bank. Duo understood; if they made it across the river, they would have a good chance to make it into the woods, and an even better chance of losing the Ozzies. They made it almost to the water when Heero disappeared from Duo's sight. Duo turned and saw his partner on the ground, kneeling, gun pointed at the men in a weak grip, blood flowing from his neck. He didn't need to be Shinigami to know that he was dying. The Oz soldiers stopped, suddenly stunned.

Duo stood there on the bank of the river, Heero leaning against his legs in shock, his green shirt quickly turning red. Duo eyes glowed a deep violet, his pupils slit like a tiger's, huge ebony wings protruding from his torn, black shirt, his fingers long and gnarled like claws. He leaned down and brought Heero to him in his arms like a child, wrapping his wings around them in a protective cloak that no bullet could penetrate. It was the first time Duo had reclaimed his angelic form and the feeling of power under his flesh and wings erupting from his back hurt like nothing else, but he barely felt it. He reached out with his power to the soldiers, touching their souls and pulling them to him. It hurt even worse than being born again, ripping souls out like that, but he didn't care. All that mattered was protecting Heero. The soft sound of bodies dropping awoke him from his trance. He had to get them away from here, somewhere safe before his power destroyed his human body and he would revert to his angelic form forever. He wrapped his arms tightly around Heero, whose eyes were shut and he was throwing up blood. He spread his wings and felt his body lift. He expanded his power to around his body. Now, no humans, no normal humans, anyway, would be able to see him. It was almost like old times.

Duo didn't know where he landed, he just knew that it was someplace far from Oz, far from anyone who could hurt them. His body, still partially human, was so tired… but there was still one thing he had to do. He laid Heero down flat, his pulse very weak, but he was still alive enough that Duo could save him. Duo dug his sharp nails into Heero's neck, wincing as Heero choked and gagged. As he withdrew his fingers with the bullet tucked against them, the blood, still wet on Heero's shirt and skin, dripped back into the wound. Duo leaned down and swiped his tongue against the wound, sucking on it lightly. Heero's eyelids fluttered at the intimate touch. Duo watched, partly in fascination, mostly in intense relief, as the wound knit itself back together without a slight scar to show on Heero's slightly tanned skin.

Duo stayed there, kneeling on the dirt ground, covered in his and Heero's blood and sweat, watching Heero sleep, watching the rise and fall of his chest. He realized that he was fading away into shock and exhaustion, but that didn't matter. He laid down on Heero's strong chest, his heartbeat the only lullaby he needed and cried. His wings wrapped around the both of them, and he cried human tears.

End chapter 4


	6. Chapter 6

Death

Chapter 5

Author's Notes: This chapter handles a lot of flashbacks into Duo's previous life as an angel. I don't really know much about Christian angels outside of Sunday school and popular media (aka Angel Sanctuary) and what little real information is in here I stole from Wikipedia, so don't yell at me about wrong info. Anyway, I'm only dealing with the Seraphim because I'm far too lazy to research other angels. There's Seraphiel (lord of the Seraphim, takes care of the other Seraphim including teaching them how to do their jobs), Metatron (the voice of God, gives God's orders to lower angels), Michael (commander of the Heavenly army), Uriel (Angel of repentance, the only angel that has God's permission to live on Earth), Jehoel (looks after Heavenly creature, Angel of Music), Camael (forced Adam and Eve out of Heaven, Angel of love), Lucifel (don't even think I need to explain who Lucifer is), Abaddon (Angel of Destruction, presides over the realm of the dead, was cast out for disagreeing with God on how to deal with human souls), Asmodai (banished from Heaven for falling in love with a human woman, his love turns him into a demon who kills his unrequited love's husbands, demon of lust), Astaroth (my personal favorite, Lucifer's son, fallen angel of his own desire, demon of laziness and vanity, showed humanity how to reason through math and science, has a unique brotherhood with snakes), Samyaza (fallen angel who mates with humans to create his own race of Gods, cast out for believing to be the same as God.), and Samael (Accuser, seducer, destroyer, angel of death), or Duo's angel name. I actually came upon Samael tonight. I thought it was interesting how Samael was the angel of death and a fallen angel. He tried to convince Michael to leave Heaven with him, but God refused to let Michael go. Also, Michael was the first angel to have to bow before Adam, something I imagine must have pissed him off, being God's fiery sword and having to take care of Adam and Eve like a servant. Uriel was originally going to be the one after Duo, but I think it fits Michael better. Those who know me in the real world are probably realizing how similar this story is becoming to Midnight Serenade, another story with Duo being an inhuman creature hiding among humans, only in that story, Duo is from a different world entirely and it deals more with race than religion.

Heero had only one memory from his childhood. He couldn't remember his parents or where he lived, but this one dream was so powerful he knew it couldn't be anything but real. As he floated in between life and death, he remembered a time just like this one. The light, soft touch of fingertips on his cheek, large white wings the color of snow, kind, worried, violet eyes staring at him, a melodic voice calling someone's name… his name? Heero couldn't remember. How could it be that the only two people he truly had loved looked exactly the same?

As the dream-memory faded away, Heero opened his eyes. He realized right away that the pain he had felt before he blacked out was gone. As he catalogued his injuries he also realized that all of the little cuts and bruises from the mission were gone. He was not in the place where he was shot. There was no river and trees touched the skyline. It was morning, the sun had not even risen high in the sky yet. Then, Heero suddenly remembered… Duo, shifting colors of red and violet around them, the horrified faces of the soldiers, and the feeling of being wrapped in wings. Just like before, except the wings had been black, not white.

There was a weight on his chest. It was Duo, curled up and sleeping fitfully. Except, it wasn't Duo, not really. It was the creature from his dreams. Blood seeped sluggishly from bullet wounds on Duo's side, arms, and shoulders. Large, black wings protruded from his back, but they seemed wrong. On closer inspection, Heero realized that Duo was losing his feathers and the flesh on his wings was rotting. Duo was unhealthily pale and Heero couldn't tell if it was because of Duo's inhuman qualities or his injuries. Heero didn't feel afraid of his boyfriend's appearance at all. It was probably because of the dreams, he mused. Deep down, he had always known that the one in his dreams that loved him and protected him was Duo all along. Duo was an angel, that was the only explanation.

'A crying angel,' Heero thought, touching Duo's wet cheeks in amazement. Heero wrapped his arms around his partner as he shook in the cold morning air. Duo's eyes moved frantically underneath his closed eyelids and Heero wondered what angels dreamt about.

Flashback

Duo's eyes were squeezed tightly shut as energy, swirled with red and violet, hovered around him. He panted lightly as he held it out among the flowers he was sitting near on the wide open field. He was supposed to be in the training building with the other juvenile angels, but he felt much more at home out here. The energy caressed the flowers, making them fuller and livelier.

"Perfect!" A melodic voice said. Duo looked up into kind, golden eyes. A tall six-winged angel stood there, wrapped in white robes, long blonde hair fell in delicate curls around his strong shoulders.

"Seraphiel!" Duo chirped. Seraphiel gathered Duo's remaining energy and dispersed it.

"Samael, why in Heaven are you out here? Is it so dreary in the training hall?" Duo stood, wrinkling his nose at his name.

"I like it outside. Besides, I'm ahead of the others, so I don't need to be with them the entire time." Seraphiel smiled and caressed Duo's loose hair.

"Are you nervous about your commencement?" Duo bowed his head and tucked his mere two wings tight to his back.

"Of course I am. This'll decide my entire future here, not to mention I get to meet Metatron. I wonder what he's like."

"You'll find out in two days." Duo entwined his fingers with his teacher's.

"I'll miss you. You've been a good friend to me, Seraphiel." Seraphiel tightened his grip on Duo's hand.

"You're an interesting angel, Samael. Don't worry. He looks after His own."

Duo waited in his room impatiently for Metatron to summon him. Today he would be given his title by Him. This would entail his level of power, his job, and where he would live. It seemed like an eternity that he had lived in this building with the other trainee angels. Of course, before being 'born' into heaven, he had known nothing else. He did not know what he wanted with his life here, he just knew that something seemed wrong. When he was in Heaven's buildings, he felt like a stranger. It was only when he was outside amongst Heaven's creatures and skyline that he felt whole. In just a couple minutes, his surroundings would change completely. He would most likely be separated from all of the other angels he had gotten used to seeing. Only similar classes of angels lived in the same place. He would deeply miss Seraphiel, who was the head of the Seraphim, but this was how Heaven was structured.

As his door finally opened, Duo mused that Metatron was much different than Seraphiel. Where Seraphiel was tall and exuded kindness, Metatron appeared to be a mere child and was very clinical and business-like. God's Voice had the body of a ten-year-old boy with short, dark brown curls that framed his pale face and flat, expressionless black eyes. He, like all Seraphim, had six, glorious white wings. A golden fox with red eyes and six tails entwined itself around Metatron's legs. Duo had learned that only Seraphim had familiars; partners that had both bodies of angels and Heavenly creatures. However, the specifics of the Seraphim's familiars were unknown. It appeared that Metatron's familiar was a kitsune; a fox spirit. Duo knew that Seraphiel's was a Griffin named Alce, but he didn't know about the other eight.

Metatron was short and to the point.

"I, Metatron, acting as my Lord's one, true voice, give title to angel Samael; fourth level Seraphim, Angel of Death, carter of all souls. Samael will report to Yggdrasil, his permanent housing." Duo sat stunned as Metatron swiftly left, having done his duty. Him? A Seraphim? How was that possible?!

"I'm not that good…" he muttered, tugging at his wing.

"Of course you are," Seraphiel said from his doorway. Duo looked at him with a questioning look. "You are ahead of all of the other angels when it comes to power. Abaddon cannot look after human souls and cart them at the same time, so this position has been open for awhile. Samael, you are special. He is never wrong." Duo nodded, still unsure.

"C'mon now," Seraphiel said reassuringly, "we have a lot of work to do."

Every angel in Heaven knew of Lucifer. God's favorite angel who believed he should be treated as God's equal, not his slave. So, he convinced Eve to think for herself and got her and Adam expelled to Earth. He rebelled against God and he and dozens of other angels were banished to Hell. However, only a few knew the truth about the original fallen angel. God, having loved Lucifer as his very first angel, had given him half of His power, so Lucifer could do his work on Earth as well as Heaven. Because of this, He decided he needed to keep an eye on Lucifer, so He did the worst thing he could think of: He destroyed Lucifer's angelic body and placed his soul inside of a familiar's.

Duo was introduced to Luc before any of his Seraphim brothers. When he was told that he was being assigned a fallen angel for a guardian, he was more than a little nervous, but that subject never really came up between them. Lucifer was nothing but courteous to him. They quickly bonded and became friends. Later, much, much, later; He would realize the mistake of having Lucifer report on Duo's progress. He did not see how much Lucifer loved his young charge and when He did, He felt a feeling He had never experienced: jealousy. But, by then, it was too late.

Lucifer waited on Duo's shoulder as the young Seraphim stood on the threshold of their new home. Lucifer knew this place well, he had lived there for what had seemed like an eternity. He could feel his charge's nervousness and did not blame him. Today they would meet all of the other Seraphim. Metatron stood close to Duo's side, as though he was afraid the other angel would flee. It was almost comical, the calm expression on the small angel's face and the look of anxiety on the taller one's.

The structure was massive and reminiscent of an ancient tree. The exterior looked to be made of pure, white marble, but it was actually organic wood. Golden vines intertwined throughout it, even on the inside. Duo's footsteps fell silently on the stone of the hallway as Metatron guided him to a room. The house looked beautiful, but sterile and lonely. Because of this, when he entered the room where he was to meet his brothers, he was presently surprised at how warm it made him feel. The structures in the room where reddish brown, how wood was supposed to look, and the floors were soft, like carpet or grass, but were flat and shimmering like stone. Through cracks in the floor, purple and blue spiral grass poked through, but this looked more elegant than decayed. Large, silver trees stood about the room with orange and pink leaves shaped like thick, long strands of hair. Nine angels, including Seraphiel, stood and sat around the room. Despite the fact that they all possessed six, pure white wings, and a similar form, they had very little in common physically. Metatron nodded to them as he introduced Duo.

"This is His choice for the role of Angel of Death, Samael. Samael, you have already met Seraphiel," Seraphiel smiled brightly at him. Alce, his Gryphon, looked up at him, his gold, eagle eyes staring right at him and his lion tale twitching anxiously.

"Michael, Angel of War," a tall, pale angel with long straight red hair and chilling, ice-blue eyes, a sword tied to his white belt, leaned against one of the trees and barely acknowledged Duo. A black dog, the size of a horse, sat next to him, his eyes just as blue as his angel's, blue flames licked off of the beast's fur and his gleaming white teeth and claws were disproportionately large for his jaws and lion-like paws.

"Uriel, Angel of Judgment," another angel that was leaning against a tree looked at Duo with impatience. He had black-green hair that was short and done in a spiked, punkish style. He was very tall with dark skin and hard, brown eyes. Standing near him, as tall as Uriel's chest, was a chimaera. The creature looked like a tiger but had a mix of white stripes and brown spots, it had a crocodile tale, a snake tongue, and its back legs looked amphibian.

"Jehoel, the angel of Music," a short, pale, female angel sat Indian style of the grass, smiling sweetly up at Duo. She had short, blue hair that was beautifully curled around her silky cheeks, wide, magenta eyes, a golden key around her neck and an ivory flute fixed to her belt. On her shoulder perched a giant bird with a white beak, silver eyes, and long, curled, red and shimmering gold feathers; a phoenix.

"Camael, the Angel of Fertility," sitting at Jehoel's left side was a taller, female angel. Her skin was the palest of them all, almost white, with long, straight, jet-black hair, slanted, orange eyes and an odd serpent creature wrapped around her body. The creatures body was jet black and had no scales, it had a shark's head and deep emerald eyes, and fins just like a shark's.

"Abbadon, the Angel of the realm of the Dead," an angel of medium height stood in the middle of the room, his skin pale, his eyes slanted and black, and his hair violet. He smiled kindly at Duo and Duo immediately took a liking to him. He imagined that, because of their jobs, they would be seeing a lot of each other. At Abbadon's side was a silver wolf with black stripes, yellow eyes, and three tales, twice Abbadon's size.

"Asmodai, the Angel of Harvest," on Jehoel's right side stood a very tall female angel. Right away Duo noted that there was something frightening about her, something off. She was easily the most beautiful of the angels, but there was something in her eyes… Her long, blue-black hair was in a loose braid down her dark-skinned back, her skin was adorned with white tattoos that looked like intricate scars, and her eyes were a deep, dark blue, like the ocean. Standing next to her was gigantic black-blue, serpent-like dragon that outweighed anything else in heaven. Its eyes were slit and red, its scales shimmered with gold specks, its black and green wings stretched immensely, and its large, grey talons clawed at the soft ground.

"Astaroth, the Angel of Redemption," another angel, standing near Asmodai, that made Duo feel as though something was very wrong. He was short like Duo with long brown-red hair and green eyes. His hair was done up in an intricate style like a geisha and he was the only one wearing cloth over his arms. He eyed Duo strangely, with interest, as though he knew a great secret, or wanted to devour him, or both, Duo couldn't decide. A large, black snake with orange, blue, and green speckles and yellow eyes was wrapped around him. Unlike normal snakes, this one had spines like a crocodiles on it's back.

"And Samayaza, the angel of Science," a tall, pale angel stood far from the others as though he wouldn't have anything to do with them. He had short, dark brown hair with a left grey eye and a right blue one. There were hundreds of green-red tentacles wrapped around him but because of the way he was standing, near a glimmering lake behind him, Duo couldn't tell what amazing creature they belonged to.

Duo smiled at all of them, still unsure of himself.

*I'm taking a break in the story to explain about the familiars. Seraphiel's is a Gryphon named Alce. Gryphon's have a body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. It is the symbol of Kings and the divine and Seraphiel is basically the head of the Seraphim. Alce is a word meaning male gryphon.

Astaroth has a snake found in Buddhism called Nagi. The Naga have both human and snake characteristics and appear to be like cobras. They are supposed to be quite large and Nagi means female Naga.

Asmodai has a water dragon named Bakonawa. Actually, Bakunawa is a Philippine God that looks like a giant sea serpent. Bakunawa has connections to the underworld and is the cause of eclipses.

For Duo, I wanted him to have Lucifer, a fallen angel, to guide him. Crows are said to be carrier of souls. They also never forget. In Dario Argento's Opera, a singer is stalked by a crazed fan. This man attacks crows that are being used in the Opera. Later, the director unleashes the crows at the audience believing that they remembered the man that killed the other crows. Sure enough, the crows peck the killer's eyes out. ^^ (Watch it now! 'Tis a great film!) Of course, Lucifer will still have his own familiar which will show up later in the story.

Samyaza has a kracken named Krake. Kracken are giant squid from Greek mythology.

Jehoel, as the Angel of Music, has a Phoenix named Huang, which is the name of the Chinese Phoenix. She is also the keeper of the leviathan, a heavenly half crocodile, half dragon beast that protects Heaven's gates.

Abbadon has a giant wolf named Amarok. Amarok is the name for an Inuit wolf that hunts humans (kind of like a werewolf or black dog).

Uriel has a Chimaera named Baku, which means spirit. The original Baku had many, many features, like a monkey, an ox, a dragon, ect. Sleeping on its pelt can ward off pestilence and the Baku can ward off evil.

Metatron has a kitsune, or fox spirit, named Inari.

Camael has a Shark-serpent named Samebito. Samebito are creatures that are part shark, part human. All of the familiars can take on a human-like form.

Michael, our antagonist, has a black dog named Barghest, which are often assumed to be Dogs of War. Black dogs are spirits with blue light or flames emitting from them. Now, back to our story.

**The Plagues**

Shortly after meeting the other angels, Uriel left for Earth. The Angel of Judgment was the only angel allowed by God to live on Earth. It was his job to weed out humans who deserved to be punished and those who needed to be saved. Despite his job, Uriel was a pitiless angel. He cared neither for humans nor his fellow angels. He was also the only angel other than Michael who was permitted to carry a heavenly sword.

Months and years flew by for Duo. His first missions went off without a hitch, much to God's pleasure. Duo threw himself into his work, earning the title of Shinigami among Heaven. Also in this time, he learned much about the other Seraphim; the good and the bad. It turns out that even in Heaven, there were dark secrets.

Duo quickly became good friends with Asmodai and Abbadon. Duo reaped his souls and brought them to Abbadon who either sorted them into Hades or brought them to Heaven, so they spoke a lot in between Duo's assignments. But, it was Asmodai who surprised Duo the most. On the day they met, she had sent many chills down Duo's spine, but since then she had gone out of her way to befriend the younger angel.

"Wait up, Sammy," a rich voice called to Duo as he hurried to his room. He wrinkled his nose at the nickname. Asmodai laughed at him.

"You have a cute face." Duo blushed, then tried to hide his reaction under a calm and cold façade like the other angels. Asmodai tilted his chin up and leaned in, brushing her lips against his ear.

"Don't hide your feelings," she whispered. Duo could feel her shapely chest rub against his own flat chest. "You're not alone." She kissed his cheek like a sister would her baby brother. She grasped his pale hand in her tanned one and shook.

"The name's Azzy. Pleased to meet ya, Sammy." Duo blinked as she walked past and he felt her silky hair brush his arm.

"Strange," he murmured.

Among the dark secrets were trivial little facts about the others. Duo was not a gossiper, but he liked getting to know about others. Metatron had given humans their alphabet and tarot. Michael was the commander of God's army. In times of war, the deadly angel was known to take over the body of human's to sway war in God's favor. Oddly enough, Michael had been the one employed to take care of Adam and Eve before they had been thrown out. Duo imagined that an order like that had done a lot of damage to the Seraphim's pride. Duo, himself, couldn't understand it. Angels were God's original children. They served Him loyally, doing whatever He wanted, yet it was humans whom He loved. Jehoel took care of all of the animals in Heaven, including the monster Leviathan, who guarded the gates of Heaven from demons. Camael was the angel who had to throw Adam and Eve out of Heaven. There was one angel who no one knew anything about: Astaroth. For some reason, Luc had demanded that Duo not speak to him. But, it was from Asmodai that he learned the darkest secret of all…

Azzy leaned back against an ivory tree, crossing her shapely legs as she and Duo lounged in between business. She leaned in close to him, just like she had before.

"Do you know where we angels come from, Sammy?" Duo blinked. He had never so much as considered that. He wondered why that was… Who was he? Had God just created him? Or was there something else? Azzy smiled, understanding his bewilderment.

"Not a single angel can say that they remember. Well, any Heavenly angel. That is one of the many prices to pay for falling, remembering your birth. Not all of us became what we are in the same way."

"What do you mean?" Duo asked, obviously puzzled. He fidgeted with the white cloth he always wore. Asmodai's smile turned dark.

"Do you know of Sandalphon?" Duo nodded.

"He's an archangel."

"He is also Metatron's brother."

"So? We're all related-,"

"That's not what I meant," she interrupted, "I mean, they came from the same mother; twins, in fact." Duo shook his head.

"No, that's impossible. God created all of us. There are no other Gods."

"No, there aren't. But, we weren't born from Gods, Sammy." Duo clasped his hands over his ears. It wasn't true… he was a child of God! Wasn't he? God didn't lie… right? But then, why did he feel things no other angel felt? What were these things inside his head? Strange sensations, not quite memories, but something he couldn't grasp…

Azzy grabbed his arms and brought them down.

"Some of us were manufactured, like cattle, by Him, to do a job. Others, angels like you and me, were born on Earth, as humans. We died, but possessed enough spiritual power for Him to change into angels." Duo stared at her, stunned, yet understood.

"He strips our memories, our names, even our fucking emotions to become His servants. Except," she put a hand on his knee, "sometimes, something goes wrong. Like with you and me. Something triggers a regression to our humanity. We begin to feel. But, you're the anomaly, aren't you? Your emotions never died. Your humanity never fizzled out. You forgot, but you still feel, somehow-,"

"Azzy," Duo said firmly, "what happened to you?" Her ocean eyes clouded.

"If I tell you, will you answer a question?"

"Sure," Duo nodded.

"If it came down to it, who would you go with? Me or Him?"

"You," Duo said, shocked by his own resolve, and the fact that it was no contest at all. What kind of angel was he?!

"Alright. It was Autumn, Harvest time, my time. I saw her in an apple orchid. A human. And I remembered something. Not really a memory, but a feeling. Love. As soon as I remembered that emotion, I wondered how I was surviving without it. It hurt, but it was a good kind of hurt. After that, I started to feel all _sorts_ of things. Anger, jealousy, fear, all sorts of things. So much, I'm afraid one day I might go insane." Duo placed his hand on hers.

"You'll be ok, Azzy." She shook her head.

"No, not this time. All I can think about is her…,"

"Tell me." Asmodai smiled in a way that she never had before and Duo wondered how something so beautiful could be seen as wrong by God.

"She has this short, curled, red hair that burns like fire in the sunlight. And eyes, the color of green apples…," Duo leaned on his hands and thought how something like that might feel like.

"Samael, God has a special assignment for you," Metatron told Duo as the other Seraphim gathered in their home.

"What is it?" God had never asked Duo for anything other than the usual assignment.

"In Egypt, a King is keeping slaves of people who worship Him. Our Lord wants them freed. He had even chosen a human to deliver this message to him and show the Pharaoh what power God possesses. It is up to one angel to deliver these… powers on the King and his people if he does not free his slaves."

"And He chose me?" Duo asked, confused. Michael stared at him coldly.

"Metatron, I do not understand. Samael is just the Reaper! I am His Commander! I should be in charge of this important task." In a rare show of emotion, Metatron glared at him.

"Know you're place, Michael! He has spoken. Samael is to go to Earth and deliver ten plagues. That is _all_." Metatron turned to Duo. "It will be relatively simple with your abilities. The spiritual energy that you possess is… well, unusual. Still, Uriel will check out your work, per His orders." Duo ignored Michael's strange stare. As Duo walked out, Asmodai slapped him on the shoulder for good luck.

_Well?_

"Well, what?" Duo muttered. Luc pecked him on the neck.

"Ow!" Duo snapped.

_This is wrong and you know it. These people have done nothing wrong. He wants to kill innocent children simply to show that He can do so._

"I have no choice." But they both knew that that was a lie.

Duo had taken a lot of shit on this job, basically killing innocent people. But, taking the lives of hundreds of innocent children was the worst thing thus far.

Duo walked on the bank of the river, his bare feet touching the water, but not really feeling it, unseen by all that were near him. He took his scythe and slit one of his wrists, letting his dark blood poor into the river. The water quickly turned a deep red as on lookers gasped.

The first six plagues went off one after another. God did not expect the Pharaoh to fold, so did not wait for his response before having Duo wreak more havoc.

Duo stood in the palace, secretly admiring the structures that human hands had made. He plucked a single strand of hair from his head. The hair wriggled and expanded, turning to hundreds of other strands, then turning into asps. The snakes fell to the ground, writhing excitedly. Duo ordered them to spread out, to attack anyone they could find. He didn't know who he felt more sorry for, the snakes, the people, or himself.

Duo walked through the town, confident that no one would ever see him. It would be many, many years before this belief was shattered. He striped his robe down to his hips, exposing his bare back. Using his scythe he cut into his ribs. Focusing his power, soon gnats, beetles, and locusts erupted from the wound along with disease, invisible to the naked eye, but not to him.

"Seven down, three more to go," Duo said tiredly.

"Their skies are forever dark, their streets are on fire from the storm, and people are covered with disease and still the Pharaoh won't do as he is asked?!" Duo asked angrily. What kind of ruler would put his subjects in such peril?

"You have God's orders, Samael," Metatron placed a hand on Duo's arm, "you know what you must do."

Duo sat on the floor of his room, his legs tucked close to him, his hands clasped over his ears, and his entire body was tense. He could still hear the screaming, that horrible screaming… it reminded him of something from a long time ago… the screaming of parents and the smell of death. He thought he would be used to that smell by now, but he could never get over it. Strong arms and black wings wrapped around him.

_Are you okay?_

"No," Duo muttered, shaking. "Why won't it stop?" Lucifer rested his head on top of Duo's and his black eyes narrowed in anger.

_He has no right to make you do such things._

"Don't, Luc…"

_No! He hasn't changed and He never will. We should leave, get you away from here-_

"No!" Duo shouted, "I know you and He have history, but I can deal with this, I can!" Lucifer shook his head.

_You're so stubborn, we're both are, I guess. I'm not giving up on you. _Duo smiled

"Thank you."

**Asmodai's Story**

One day, Abaddon, Astaroth, and Samyaza disappeared. It happened right after Abbadon and Samyaza had taken council with God. No one would talk about it, per God's orders, but they all knew that He was furious about something. Astaroth had always made Duo nervous with his odd, leering stares and Samyaza kept to himself all the time. However, Duo greatly missed Abbadon. While he did talk with the other Seraphim from time to time, it was Asmodai and Abbadon that he was good friends with. As always, it was Asmodai who had the answers to all of Duo's questions.

"They fell," Azzy said calmly, as though this was a common occurrence.

"Fell?" Asmodai smiled darkly.

"They needed to talk to Him. Abbadon disagreed about how God was dealing with the human souls. He believed that He was being to stern about those sent to the Underworld. He had become weary of his position, I'm sure you can relate." Her stare was knowing. That was the thing about Azzy, she always seemed to know everything about him. Duo didn't respond to that, not wanting to talk about his feelings about his job out loud.

"Samyaza, on the other hand, much like your familiar," she looked at Lucifer with a great deal of respect, "believed that angels should be treated the same as God. But, He does not take arguments from his servants. He cast them all out. As for Astaroth, well, there are rumors…" Duo leaned forward. Lucifer glared at her. Well, as much as a crow could glare.

_Don't speak of things you don't understand._ Duo looked at him in concern.

"I'll say what I like, Morning Star," she said condescendingly. "Astaroth is Lucifer's son, with another fallen angel. Though, God does not know that. If he did, Astaroth would not be here. He probably followed Abbadon and Samyaza, or gave them a place to stay, who knows." Duo stared at Lucifer, who turned his head away in shame. Duo felt betrayed. After all of this time, Luc had never mentioned a child. "There are rumors that Samyaza has a plan to create Heaven on Earth, though I doubt that he could ever accomplish that." She sighed. "We'll just have to get used to the fact that they're never coming back."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Duo yelled at Luc, who was in his humanoid form. They were alone in their room, neither of them wanting an audience.

_There was a fallen angel named Lilith. We did not love each other, rather, we wanted to make God angry. When Astaroth was born, Lilith and he disappeared. When he showed up in Heaven, I was shocked. However, he is my son and I will not sell him out to God._ Duo settled down at Lucifer's depressed tone.

"What do you think happened?"

_There is a demon world, Hell, where all of the fallen angels go. With me gone, it is Astaroth's place to rule. He probably brought Abbadon and Samyaza there. They will be safe. Safer than the rest of us._

"Why, would God hurt them?" Duo asked, disbelieving that his Lord would hurt his own children, but he had seen what He did to humans who did not follow him, so why not angels?

"Fallen angels… if He finds them, He will exact the ultimate punishment."

"He'll do what he did to you? Make them familiars?"

"No, Samael. He will rip out their wings, making them mortal, gouge out their eyes, carve the symbol of betrayal on them and display them for a lifetime. Disobeying God is a serious crime. I am the only fallen that was able to return to Heaven without facing this fate." Duo was shocked. He had heard rumors of punishment for renegade angels, but he had never believed them.

"So… what do we do?"

_Nothing._ _Nothing we can do. _But, no matter how long Duo thought of that, he just couldn't accept it.

Asmodai walked across the field, wildflowers unfolding in her steps. It was spring again, the time to come to Earth to insure that the flowers and harvests would be fruitful. But, in reality, she had no interest in her job anymore. It was only her. Asmodai mused that one of the perks of being an angel was that she could watch her for as long as she liked without ever being noticed.

Springtime in Ireland was the same as everywhere else. In the field of peach trees, blooming with ripe, orange-red fruit, small white flowers covered the ground. The girl, now a young woman of twenty-one, was dressed in a white dress and green apron that matched well with her eyes. Her name was Fiona and she had been recently married to young farmer. Asmodai did not know what his name was, nor did she wish to know. As she saw the two together, her heart ached. She had forgotten what that pain was like. She hoped that Samael would never know it, that if he did fall in love, he would find a way to be happy with it. But, they were angels, so it was quite impossible. She couldn't even touch the woman she loved. All she could do was watch Fiona intently as she went about her everyday chores. Asmodai wished she could live as simply as these humans. True, she had her duties just like them, but they could feel their emotions without fear, and some were not slaves. Asmodai wished she could feel the grass and flowers she had created with her power instead of merely watching them bloom and grow.

Asmodai had given life all over the world, had been doing so for longer than she would ever remember. She wondered if she had it in her to take life. She was no Angel of Death. She often wondered how Samael could stand it, the screams of his victims. But, she believed that she could. Really, it was easy enough to kill a creature, it was simply the aftermath that was difficult.

She watched, unseen as always, as Fiona's husband led a young, blonde girl to the shed. His name was Adam. It fit him, she thought, for Adam had also given up Eve for another woman, except this Adam's wife did not know about his betrayal. And she never would, Azzy would see to that. The beautiful, simple girl did not deserve such a swine of a husband, who slept with a different girl every week. Asmodai did not know if she could take a life, but by the end of the night, she would find out.

As Asmodai used her power to suck the life out of Adam's body, her only regret was that she would be leaving Samael all alone. She only hoped that the young angel would figure things out for himself and get out of his prison before he lost his sanity. She was not so far gone to realize the darkness that had gripped her. She had just ceased to care. Fiona's screams tore at her, but as much as that hurt her, a part of her felt too dead to watch her cry.

End Chapter 5


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